Cook Up A Storm is a Lunar New Year comedy, inspired by Nicholas Tse’s own TV Show Chef Nic’. Released a little late into the season, it features a Chinese-Korean ensemble cast with familiar faces to both fans of Hong Kong film productions as well as K-Pop fans. But with a premise as cut-and-dried as it sounds, it’s probably more likely to appeal to fans of the aforementioned familiar faces. Chinese name 决战食神 Director Raymond Yip Screenplay Wen Jun Genre Comedy Running time 13600 Recommended for Fans of the cast members, those looking for mindless visual entertainment NOT recommended for Anyone on a diet, or expecting a cinematic masterpiece Starring Nicholas Tse as Sky Ko, Jung Yong-hwa as Paul Ahn, Tiffany Tang as Uni, Michelle Bai as Mayo, You Ge as Seven, Anthony Wong as Sky Ko’s father Plot outline Sky Ko Nicholas Tse, a Cantonese cook with a chip on his shoulder, meets his match in the form of Paul Ahn Jung Yong-hwa, a Korean-Chinese three-star Michelin chef. The former caters to local tastes at his popular time-honoured traditional shop, while Paul’s new Western-influenced restaurant aims to innovate. The problem is Paul’s restaurant, Stellar, opens right in front of Sky’s little shop. This takes away a chunk of Sky’s formerly thriving business. Naturally, Sky despises everything about Paul. That’s the least of Sky’s troubles. His dad, a world famous chef, left him when he was only a little boy, and claimed that Sky would never be a good cook just because he couldn’t cut some lousy vegetable. However, these rivals inevitably end up working together in an East meets West culinary fusion. Review Cook Up A Storm isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either. It’s definitely a visual treat, with its extreme close-ups of spices sizzling in the kitchen, and the chefs’ adept movements as they swiftly debone and toss a whole fillet around. But it really stops there. The film progresses and ends as predictably as expected. If and a big if you don’t expect too much from it, you might find yourself enjoying the show. Screenplay I would warn for spoilers but like I said, it’s not really that hard to foresee how this story ends. The screenplay had its moments, but the film didn’t really make me laugh out loud. I guess that in itself is kind of damning for a comedy. It made me smile in certain parts, for sure, but perhaps its only memorable comedic moment was when Paul punched his former boss, and the latter moaned about his destroyed nose job, likely a little gag at South Korea as the plastic surgery capital of the world. That did make me wish that they’d further explored Paul’s mixed Chinese and Korean background. I would wager that it might’ve made the film a little bit more interesting. Sky is perhaps an easier to love character, but Paul’s characterisation was a lost potential. I’m guessing it’s because the screenwriter wanted audiences to dislike Paul’s coldness just as much as Sky did. We do find out more about Paul towards the end of the film after his assistant backstabbed him, but by the time that happened, there was very little room for more character development left. Cinematography The campy slow motion was ridiculous enough to tease a few snorts out of me at first, but it was kind of overdone, even for a comedy. But I did enjoy the use of slow-motion for its gratuitous food porn shots. Here, I must emphasise on the importance of avoiding this film if you’re hungry or on a strict diet. Seriously. Cook Up A Storm gives Food Network shows a run for their money. If anything, the film is partly a rhapsody of food and I can dig that. Overall, the camerawork is probably one of the better parts of the film, even with its campy factor. I ended up feeling hungry by the end of the whole spectacle, but it was pretty worth it. Dramatic Delivery Most of the principal cast members are silver screen veterans. However, the film’s formulaic screenplay doesn’t really do any of them any favours. But I did appreciate the chemistry between most of the actors. The little frisson of energy between Nicholas Tse and Yonghwa was pretty fun to watch. Of course, it helps a lot that they’re both really good-looking, I’m not going to lie. What I didn’t like in the slightest was Sky’s friends’ attempts at slapstick comedy. More often than not, it was borderline painful to watch, cringeworthy, and terribly unfunny. They were unneeded. Final Thoughts Cook Up A Storm is pretty much as formulaic and predictable as it sounds, but I did enjoy it a little bit. I do like Nicholas Tse’s face a lot, so that would probably explain why. Would I watch it again? Yeah, I wouldn’t mind watching it again if any of my local TV channels aired it and I had time to spare. You’d probably enjoy it a little bit too if you’re into Food Network level of pornography, and appreciate the cast members’ faces.

8/10 Unexpectedly heartwarming and visually stunning I don't know what "BasicLogic" is talking about in his review. The only thing that makes sense in what he said is the fact that there are unimportant male characters that are "underwhelming", but their role are so small that it doesn't even matter. Also, why comment on script/dialogue when you clearly are from the US and are probably reading someone's subtitles? That is, in my opinion, something particularly dumb. Better to have no opinion at all, than to simply complain about something without rhyme or movie is very well paced.. It didn't feel slow at all and actors in Asian movies tend to talk more quickly anyway. It has a very nice structure even for a "worn out" plot and is far richer than I expected. It is also visually stunning, and the ending was not only packed with emotions, it was very satisfying in the way the main character handled himself. The cast is super likable and well would recommend this to anyone that likes a movie with a bit rivalry and personal growth. I'm quite glad I watched it even after reading it's short summary and that "simple" looking poster. 13 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Definitely enjoyable The movie is really enjoyable ,, kinda has that 2005 dance off competition movie .. except it's cooking ; The story was sweet and even if the plot was a bit predictable it has that fun action element that makes you glued to your seat and wanna see what's camera work and the visuals though .. WOW ,, It was just phenomenal ,, all these close ups and colorful dishes just made he movie itself look like a happy place to be just in time for the Chinese new year fireworks cast were really good ... just loved the whole the chemistry and it was all flowing in one place ..Finale say ,, it's already on your Netflix recommended foreign movies ,, so don't miss it out. 4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink Familiar yet unexpectedly poignant and heartwarming, this culinary-themed drama is the year's best Lunar New Year offering 'Cook Up A Storm' may be arriving later than its peers, but it is easily the most satisfying CNY movie we've seen this year. As much as it may be about the rivalry between the Cantonese street cook Sky Ko Nicholas Tse and the French-trained Michelin-starred chef Paul Ahn Jung Yong-hwa, this gastronomic-themed drama is more compellingly about Sky and his father Mountain Ko Anthony Wong, the latter an internationally recognized Chinese chef who had left his son in the care of his buddy Uncle Seven Ge You two decades ago in order to pursue his culinary ambitions worldwide. It isn't hard to guess that the father-son estrangement is where the narrative ultimately leads to meaning therefore that the supposed enmity between Sky and Paul is no more than a red herring, but that doesn't diminish the poignance of their eventual reconciliation, which is also what makes the movie surprisingly formula would have it, the conflicts here between the respective pair of rivals are resolved through cooking competitions. Underlining that between Sky and Paul is the threat an obnoxious land developer Chairman Li Wang Tai Li brandishes about taking back the humble diner Seven if the former loses the International Chef Challenge Competition – although the fact that Chairman Li owns the fine dining restaurant where Paul is head chef at makes the bargain an unfair one to begin with. Incidentally, their clash is also cast as one between tradition and modernity – not only because Seven and the Spring Avenue neighbourhood where it is located are but the only historical vestiges left in the middle of gleaming skyscrapers, but also because of Paul's frequent refrain that Chinese cuisine had stagnated through the centuries. Likewise, the enmity between Sky and Mountain also culminates in a culinary showdown, albeit in a more prestigious World Supreme Chef Competition at Macau's glittering Studio City Event even though the presentation is familiar, the flavours remain just as delightful. It's no secret that the premise is inspired by Nicholas Tse's cooking show 'Chef Nic', and just as that successful food travelogue, the sight of watching professional chefs at work on their craft is truly one to behold. Just as delectable is the showcase of East and West cuisine – the former presented here with a beauty and elegance rarely seen, and the latter exotic and fascinating in and of itself. The filmmakers have here taken to heart an axiom which the sagely Seven imparts – that the mark of a truly successful chef is his or her ability to create a dish that can carry its flavours from the tongue to the heart. Oh yes, more than the tantalizing sight of food is the unexpectedly moving reunion between the father-son pair here, which is guaranteed to leave you these characters are played by Nicholas Tse and Anthony Wong also makes their on screen relationship even more compelling, the latter in particular injecting gravitas into a supporting role that could have ended up as mere caricature in the hands of a lesser actor. Not forgetting of course the wonderful Ge You, whose presence alone brings class and dignity to an underwritten part that could have been better developed to illustrate the surrogate relationship between Sky and Seven. Indeed, some of the most memorable scenes are constructed between and around these veterans as they trade barbs and jibes at one another, leaving the rest of the performers either shrill such as Jim Chim's sycophantic right-hand man to Chairman Li or just bland such as Seven's restaurant manager Uni Tiffany Tang and Paul's girlfriend cum culinary associate Mayo Bai Bing.Truth be told, 'Cook Up A Storm' serves up a recipe that local viewers will no doubt recognize from past CNY offerings such as 'Let's Eat!' and Stephen Chow's classic 'God of Cookery'. But there is every intention on director Raymond Yip and his writer Manfred Wong's part for their latest to be comfort food over the CNY holiday, just like the familiar but nevertheless joyous dishes we often partake over reunion dinners and with the crucial ingredient of family togetherness. In that regard, there is much reason to embrace the joy, warmth and exuberance of this familiar yet heartwarming movie – and like we said at the start, it may have arrived later than its peers, but this is also easily the most enjoyable Spring Festival movie this year. 7 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Awesome Story line is interesting with extraordinary climax at the end all the actors fairly performed their characters visuals are rich 4 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Cook Up A Storm Story of Chefs, Food Wars? Haha, I just love this. This movie has aspects of comedy, cooking and adventure. Actors did a tremendous job. The camera visuals, sound effects and cooking recipes were just amazing. Please don't watch this movie with empty stomach. This is one of those movies that has satisfying ending. 2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 3/10 This recipe is without any kind of flavor or spice... It was my fondness of the Asian cinema that made me pick up "Cook Up a Storm" aka "Jue zhan shi shen" the moment I found it, and I had never heard about the movie prior to finding it. I had no idea what it was about, aside from something revolving around a food theme, based on the movie's cover. And I didn't even know who was in the it was actually a nice surprise to see that Anthony Chau-Sang Wong and Nicholas Tse were in this movie. But that was essentially the extend of anything even remotely good about the storyline in was so weak and almost non-existing that it was excruciatingly boring to sit through the movie. Granted, I gave up about after about around 45 minutes of watching the movie. I just couldn't take anymore of it of the sheer and utter boredom that was trotting on in a very monotone pace on the movie is about pretentious chefs and their lust to prepare equally pretentious dishes that no one cares about. It made for the most pointless and inadequate of story lines that I have seen in a long, long time in an Asian movie. And the characters in the movie don't have an ounce of likability about them, so you don't really care about their struggles, victories and personal is the appeal about watching two pretentious chefs preparing dishes that no one cares about on the screen? And even more so, why did it have to be made into a movie? Wouldn't it be sufficient to just turn on the TV and watch any of the numerous cooking TV shows that mar the prime time?"Cook Up a Storm" is not a movie that I will return to finish at any time in the future, because it offered nothing of any worth, value or found no enjoyment in the storyline concocted by writers Jingling Li, Yi Liu, Manfred Wong and presented by director Wai Man Yip. Not every single Asian movie is going to be a fantastic movie, and "Cook Up a Storm" proves that sometimes Asian cinema throws a wide swing and an even bigger miss. 6 out of 27 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Well done son Is a story that takes advantage of the trend of the moment chef to send a message to humanity, without losing the perspective of encouraging the human to prepare to compete and try to always be the best, however we are the same anywhere in the world , We forget the most important, our responsibility guide, teach, love, but nature is so wise that it gives us the ability to challenge the half world and face our own executioner, to receive as a trophy a simple .. "Son, well done" 5 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Basically Chinese live action of Shokugeki no Soma "Cook Up a Storm" is basically a Chinese live-action of the anime Shokugeki no Soma! The beginning of this movie was amazing with beautiful dishes, artistic effects, and perfect footage. The casting and acting and dialogue was also great. The main character Sky Ko is a lot like Soma who is determined to be a chef and runs a small family restaurant while his rival, Paul Ahn is a French-trained chef. The two are rivals and end up competing and trying to out cook each would give the first half of this movie 10/10 because it was near perfect but unfortunately the end of the film seemed really rushed/unsatisfying. The second half of the movie seemed like they lost the budget ie. food was a lot sloppier, rushed ending. However, I would still recommend this movie to Shokugeki no Soma fans - it's essentially the exact same story with AWESOME visual effects! 4 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 Typical Chinese comedy Warning Spoilers COOK UP A STORM is a typical lighthearted comedy from China about a couple of rival chefs and their battles in a cook-off contest. A lot of the goodwill arising from it comes from the presence of the likeable Nicholas Tse in the lead role, and the way his volatile relationship with his father played by a more-than-welcome Anthony Wong pans out is probably the most interesting part of it. The battle-of-skills style comedy is quite predictable, although there's a lot of admittedly well-shot 'food porn' on display so foodies will enjoy it. 1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink Without some nice dishes, this film is 1-star awful! The usual problems that the Chinese movie script writers and their directors could never improve Lousy and child movie ideas and concept, weak and childish plots and scenarios, bad and pretentious dialog writing, terrible, weak, talent-less, unnecessary supporting actors, bad costumes and make-up skills, over the top and overkill of the dishes in this lame film are simply beautiful and amazing, but in the end, you would find out those western cuisines are so pretentious, not as good as a stir-fried dish. The young Chinese chef was nicely and naturally performed, others, were simply ruined by the childish and pretentious screen-play. All the supporting characters, especially some those male ones, were so obviously without any acting talents and were further ruined by the ridiculous script and dialog. This film is just a bit better tolerable than the stupidest film of the decade The Great Wall. 4 out of 42 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 2/10 Seems Like the Chinese Rip Off Everyone Chinese version of the Iron that are coming out of Hong Kong and CHina these days are weird. No where near as good as Japanese or Korean seems they are trying to capture Hollywood from the 40' color, elaborate sets and even dance number thrown in for good measureThe problem is the stories are as if written for a 12 year one is no exception. 1 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 4/10 Only the food is good! This is the new chinese cinema. I'm so sick of it. Switch of your brain, the story has more holes than a swiss chees. This destroys the last fun I have watching the fish and chicken fly to the air while cooking. Visual stunning, and everything in this film is steril clean like an operation area in a hospital. 4 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 More than a cooking competition... "Cook Up a Storm" is a Comedy - Drama movie in which we watch two chefs, a Cantonese street cook and a French-trained Michelin-starred chef preparing for a very famous cooking competition. Soon they figure out that they have more in common than what they enjoyed this movie because it had a very interesting plot and contained some very clever plot twists that I did not expect. The direction which was made by Wai-Man Yip it was good and he succeeded on presenting his main characters very well, something that helped the audience follow their story, better understanding them and even relate to them. In addition to this, the interpretations of both Nicholas Tse who played as Gao Tian Ci and Yong-hwa Jung who played as Paul were very good and the differences of their characters created a nice result. All in all, I have to say that "Cook Up a Storm" is a nice movie and I recommend everyone to watch it. 0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Horrible storyline and dialogs, but the most amazing sound effects and CGI. All together I loved the movie, since I watched it purely because of the cooking scenes. But as the movie began I was getting frustrated, because the story had no sense from the beginning it is like from a children's book, and don't get me started on the I quickly figured out that it is probably meant to be watched with a lot of humour, so I continued to watch it laughing at the stupid scenes and really enjoying the pure cooking the movie has some of the best sound effects and CGI I've ever seen. Purely from that point, I loved summary, horrible story and scripts, but amazing sound effects and edits. 2 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 Could've been better Warning Spoilers It feels like the movie's first half was given a little more love up until the first competition between Paul and Tianci. After that it felt rushed and full of plot holes. The food looked amazing and made me hungry all through the movie. Could've handled the second if thr movie a lot better. The movie was still entertaining. 1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Absolute Perfection I didn't watch the movie... Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler also my friend is the director's son 3 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Cheesy yet beautiful This is a hard movie to define since it obviously suffers from local cinema issues, yet there is quite a beautiful story to discover undernwath it all. I would specially praise the CGI and the actual food, they both look absolutely stunning. If there was something that I would genuilnly change in this movie it would be the pacing and yet I still can't help but love this movie. 0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Great movie Must watch have watch it recently it is an awesome movie with great stuff. 0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

Cook Up a Storm 決戰食神 is a Hong Kong movie specially catered to premiere during Lunar Chinese New Year early this year 2017. The comedy film comprise of various actors from different country and Chinese regions. We have actor Nicholas Tse from Hong Kong, Jung Yong Hwa of CNBLUE from South Korea, Ge You and Tiffany Tang from China. It has been a long time since I have watched a Hong Kong movie. They haven’t made many quality movies or dramas, and hence, we broke up. If it weren’t for Jung Yong Hwa and his disappearance from the screen for almost 3 years, I wouldn’t be bothered. Besides, from the preview trailer, the show didn’t look that bad… PLOT Paul Ahn Jung Yong Hwa is a Korean-Chinese chef who excels in French cuisine. He decided to take up an offer as the executive chef in a newly open French restaurant in Hong Kong. His girlfriend/assistant chef Mi Yu Michelle Bai also follows. Opposite Paul’s restaurant is a 30 years old Chinese restaurant owned by Uncle Qi Ge You, but currently run by his student, Gao Tian Ci Nicholas Tse. Paul and Tian Ci’s rivalry began on the day they first met at the fish market, and it worsen when customers from both sides hinder each others’ businesses. At the very same time, the neighbourhood is undergoing redevelopment, the old shops and restaurants are threathened to relocate, including Qi Restaurant. Both Paul and Tian Ci coincidentally join a cooking contest, hence it was decided that the winner gets to stay and loser must pack their bags and close the restaurant. However, Tian Ci had another reason for joining the contest; he wanted to prove himself to his father, Gao Feng Anthony Wong, the 2 consecutive winner and holder of the title, Culinary God. COMMENTS The good First off, so glad to see Yong Hwa on screen acting again after The Three Musketeers. More good news is looks like he will return with a 12 episodes drama, The Package, to be air on jTBC. It’s pre-produced; he and his co-stars have already completed filming so let’s hope the show get an air date soon. 🙂 The not-so-great and the bad parts After not watching any Hong Kong movies for over 10 years, I kind of wish they would give me something new and refreshing. That didn’t happen. The execution of the plot is very typical and the only solution the scriptwriter can come up with solving the problem is—let’s have both chefs do a one-on-one on knife skills in the middle of the street. Like really? It’s sooo…I don’t know, gangster style? It reminds me of Young & Dangerous where all characters in it can’t sit down and communicate, everything must be solved with a fist and knife. In this instance, there was no fighting between the chefs, but the people around them would have and behave just like thugs. I am hardly convinced a well-educated man and a 3-stars chef would agree to showcase his skills on a middle of the street. Surely Paul has more class than this! I wonder if Yong Hwa is cursed in his acting career. In the beginning of his projects, his characters seem equally as important as the leading actor, but when we reach the latter half, his presence or character’s story diminished and his screen time reduced. It’s the same for this movie, too. It would have been more interesting if Paul and Tian Ci inspire each other and work together to create a fusion of Chinese-French cuisine, and prove themselves against those who betray or look down on them. I didn’t mind they added the father and son’s story, but shift in focus in the end to the whole father and son’s contest was ridiculous. One of the problems with Hong Kong movies is their obsession in always making their main lead look cool’ that they forget in certain scenarios, there are other aspects more important that one must uphold a professional chef should show his professionalism, respect and good ethics. Tian Ci walked off the stage twice in two separate contests. He should have been disqualified on the account of disrespecting his fellow opponenets, the panel judges, the cooking contest organisation and audiences. Even though this is a show’, I can’t overlook the director’s execution of both these scenes. The attempt of looking cool actually makes his character comes off offensively impolite. CONCLUSION There is no lasting strong impression in the acting department. The script lacks depth and innovation. But it’s actually not that bad of a movie, and it’s a no brainer sort of entertainment good for relaxing and winding down an exhausting day. But it’s just not a movie where you would go away feeling Wow, that’s awesome’ and want to go back for more. It was forgettable. I do, however, like the presentation of the food—Chinese or French, either way, I wouldn’t mind be the judges on the panel. Source Mtime

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review cook up a storm